


Fearful Fury

by SilentMemento



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: F/M, Forbidden Love, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:22:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28774521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentMemento/pseuds/SilentMemento
Summary: (Trigger Warnings for suicide, domestic abuse, incest, sexual themes (including child/apprentice grooming), rape, character death, and violence.) (A repost, combining characters and plot points from a collaboration story that never got off the ground.)A Twoleg running from her past ends up running straight into the prophecy for the survival of the Clans, a prophecy that she's unwittingly roped into when she's turned into a cat after her death. Having to adjust to her new body would be hard enough, but the Clans are on the brink of a war, and she's caught right in the middle as a newly-made WindClan apprentice with enemies on all sides - and that's not even counting the enemies within.Alone in her thoughts and trusting no one, she must learn what the prophecy entails...before it can claim her life again.
Kudos: 2





	1. Clan Allegiances and Prologue

**ThunderClan:**

Leader:

Swanstar - pure white tom with pale-blue eyes.

Deputy:

Eagleeye - white tom with brown splotches, green right eye, blue left eye.

Medicine Cat:

Twistedstem - dark-brown tom with amber eyes, matted fur.

Warriors:

Vineblossom - long-limbed tabby she-cat with green eyes.

Moleclaw - black tom with large claws, amber eyes. (Addertail’s mate.)

Addertail - sleek brown she-cat with amber eyes. (Moleclaw’s mate.)

Aspenflower - fluffy ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes.

Ravenstripe - striped black-and-gray she-cat with green eyes.

Rockfur - light-brown tom with amber eyes.

Dovebreeze - pure white she-cat with green eyes. (Plumtail’s mate.)

Cherryheart - ginger she-cat with blue eyes.

Crowpelt - dark-gray tom with blue eyes. (Poppytail’s mate.)

Plumtail - blue-gray tom with cold blue eyes. (Dovebreeze’s mate.)

Antfrost - black tom with blue eyes. (Suncloud’s mate.)

Beetail - golden tom with green eyes. (Snowstreak’s mate.)

Leopardnose - speckled black-and-gold tom with blue eyes. (Mapleflower’s mate.)

Hailcloud - light-gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Apprentices:

Buzzardpaw - pure black tom with white patches on his throat, paws, tip of tail, amber eyes, long claws. (Leopardnose’s apprentice.)

Hollowpaw - white tom with ginger splotches and pale blue eyes. Monotone voice. (Twistedstem’s apprentice.)

Pricklepaw - long-furred tabby tom with amber eyes. (Addertail’s apprentice.)

Pikepaw - shaggy gray tom with blue eyes. (Crowpelt’s apprentice.)

Specklepaw - mottled tabby she-cat with green eyes. (Ravenstripe’s apprentice.)

Cedarpaw - ginger tom with blue eyes. (Beetail’s apprentice.)

Rowanpaw - ginger tom with green eyes. (Antfrost’s apprentice.)

Queens:

Mapleflower - golden-brown she-cat with blue eyes. (Leopardnose’s mate.) (Yarrowkit, Foxkit.)

Suncloud - golden-brown she-cat with amber eyes. (Antfrost’s mate.) (Frogkit, Mousekit.)

Poppytail - black-and-white she-cat with amber eyes. (Crowpelt’s mate.) (Oriolekit, Badgerkit.)

Snowstreak - pure-white she-cat with green eyes. (Beetail’s mate.) (Frostkit, Icekit.)

Elders:

Smalltail - patched tabby tom with a small tail, green eyes

Ridgeback - slender tabby she-cat with an arched back and green eyes.

Blackfur - black tom with a silver muzzle and pale-blue eyes.

-

**ShadowClan:**

Leader:

Goosestar - black tom with cold blue eyes.

Deputy:

Darkpelt - dark-gray tabby tom with amber eyes.

Medicine Cat:

Sprucemist - tortoiseshell she cat with blue eyes.

Warriors:

Finchwing - golden-brown she-cat with green eyes.

Duskshade - pure black she-cat with icy-blue eyes.

Swiftshade - black-and-white she-cat with green eyes.

Skunkfur - black tom with white throat, paws, and tail, and green eyes. (Acornbranch’s mate.)

Beetlestorm - black tom with long claws and amber eyes. (Moonfur’s mate.)

Locustwind - black tom with pale-blue eyes and a squashed face.

Spidertail - black tom with a long tail and blue eyes. (Jaywing’s mate.)

Elmleaf - brown she-cat with green eyes.

Webpool - patched gray-and-white tom, blue eyes.

Owltail - dark-gray tom with sharp amber eyes.

Goldenthroat - black she-cat with a golden spot on her throat and green eyes.

Toadleap - long-legged tan tom with green eyes. (Nettleflower’s mate.)

Dustwhisker - tortoiseshell she-cat with gray muzzle and blue eyes.

Cypresstail - calico she-cat with blue eyes.

Alderroot - brown she-cat with blue eyes.

Fernfrost - tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

Apprentices:

Ratpaw - light-brown tom with amber eyes. (Sprucemist’s apprentice.)

Nightpaw - black she-cat with green eyes. (Duskshade’s apprentice.)

Pinepaw - dark-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes. (Toadleap’s apprentice.)

Mothpaw - light-brown she-cat with green eyes. (Swiftshade’s apprentice.)

Stagpaw - golden-brown tom with green eyes. (Goldenthroat’s apprentice.)

Firpaw - dark-brown tabby tom with blue eyes. (Finchwing’s apprentice.)

Copperpaw - golden-brown tom with blue eyes. (Webpool’s apprentice.)

Queens:

Moonfur - silver-gray she-cat with blue eyes. (Beetlestorm’s mate.) (Marshkit, Willowkit, Featherkit.)

Nettleflower - black she-cat with green eyes. (Toadleap’s mate.) (Weaselkit, Shrewkit.)

Acornbranch - brown she-cat with amber eyes. (Skunkfur’s mate.) (Lizardkit, Stonekit.)

Jaywing - blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes. (Spidertail’s mate.) (Squirrelkit, Barkkit.)

Elders:

Thistlefur - thick-furred golden-brown tom with amber eyes.

Brindletail - brown-and-white she-cat with amber eyes.

Oakflower - brown she-cat with amber eyes.

-

**RiverClan**

Leader:

Talonstar - powerful brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Deputy:

Swallowclaw - gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes.

Medicine Cat:

Chestnutfur - golden brown tom with green eyes

Warriors:

Smokefin - dark gray she-cat with tufted paws and amber eyes.

Splashstone - thick-furred blue-gray she-cat, blue eyes.

Eelfur - thin-furred blue-gray tom, blue eyes. (Puddlepelt’s mate.)

Robinwhisker - slender silver-gray she-cat, green eyes. (Shellfang’s mate.)

Creekclaw - silver she-cat with blue eyes.

Rushfoot - dark-gray tom with blue eyes. (Rosefoot’s mate.)

Newtpelt - mud-brown tom with amber eyes. (Wavefur’s mate.)

Otterheart - dark-brown tom with a long tail, green eyes. (Gullwing’s mate.)

Snailfoot - black tom with pale blue eyes. (Rainflower’s mate.)

Beavertail - brown tom with a thick tail, blue eyes. (Sagebloom’s mate.)

Shellfang - big white tom, blue eyes, jagged fangs. (Robinwhisker’s mate.)

Hollystripe - black she-cat with gray stripes, pale-green eyes.

Apprentices:

Stoatpaw - brown-and-white tom with blue eyes. (Smokefin’s apprentice.)

Honeypaw - golden-brown she cat with green eyes. (Otterheart’s apprentice.)

Ripplepaw - dark-gray she-cat with blue eyes. (Rushfoot’s apprentice.)

Pebblepaw - dark-gray tom with blue eyes. (Creekclaw’s apprentice.)

Troutpaw - ginger tom with blue eyes. (Shellfang’s apprentice.)

Pearlpaw - blue-gray she-cat with green eyes. (Splashstone’s apprentice.)

Seedpaw - brown tom with green eyes. (Snailfoot’s apprentice.)

Brightpaw - young fluffy tabby ginger she-cat with pale-blue eyes. (Chestnutfur’s apprentice.)

Queens:

Gullwing - white-and-gray she-cat with blue eyes. (Otterheart’s mate.) (Duckkit, Cinderkit.)

Rainflower - gray she-cat with green eyes. (Snailfoot’s mate.) (Yewkit, Larchkit, Reedkit)

Wavefur - fluffy ginger she-cat with blue eyes. (Newtpelt’s mate.) (Beechkit, Birchkit).

Puddlepelt - slender silver-gray she-cat with blue eyes. (Eelfur’s mate.) (Leafkit, Sleetkit.)

Sagebloom - black she-cat with green eyes. (Beavertail’s mate.) (Oakkit, Volekit.)

Rosefoot - ginger she-cat with green eyes. (Rushfoot’s mate.) (Flintkit, Mudkit.)

Elders:

Daisyfur - brown she-cat with a cream colored belly and green eyes.

Beechheart - brown tom with green eyes.

  
Whitetail - brown tom with a white tail and green eyes.

-

**WindClan:**

Leader:

Quailstar - brown tabby she-cat with white splotches, amber eyes.

Deputy:

Brownbelly - heavyset black tom with a brown belly and amber eyes.

Medicine Cat:

Raccoonpaw - black-and-gray she-cat with a fluffy banded tail and green eyes.

Warriors:

Kestreltail - large pale-brown tabby tom with blue eyes.

Wrenfeather - brown tabby she-cat with white splotches, amber eyes.

Batears - grayish-black tom with big ears, cold blue eyes. (Blazefur’s mate.)

Condorstride - gray-and-white tom with amber eyes. (Sootsnout’s mate.)

Wolfwind - dark-gray tabby tom, green eyes. (Cloversong’s mate.)

Bearclaw - dark-brown long-legged tom with amber eyes. (Deerflash’s mate.)

Deerflash - brown and white she-cat with blue eyes. (Bearclaw’s mate.)

Haystalk - golden-brown she-cat, green eyes.

Apprentices:

Gorsepaw - ginger tom with amber eyes and long claws. (Wrenfeather’s apprentice.)

Ferretpaw - golden-brown tabby tom with blue eyes. (Wolfwind’s apprentice.)

Emberpaw - ginger she-cat with green eyes. (Condorstride’s apprentice.)

Grasspaw - brown tabby tom with blue eyes. (Kestreltail’s apprentice.)

Rampaw - pure white tom with green eyes. (Batears’ apprentice.)

Harepaw - ginger she-cat with short tail, amber eyes. (Haystalk’s apprentice.)

Queens:

Sootsnout - light-gray she-cat with amber eyes. (Condorstride’s mate.) (Kits: Ivykit, Brackenkit, Bramblekit.)

Blazefur - fluffy ginger she-cat with pale-blue eyes. (Batears’ mate.) (Kits: Dawnkit, Hawkkit, Thornkit.)

Cloversong - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes. (Wolfwind’s mate.) (Kits: Sandkit, Heatherkit, Hickorykit.)

Elders:

Silvereye - silver-gray tom with one blue eye, one glazed eye, still young.

Ashstream - gray she-cat with a long tail, pale-blue eyes.

-

Cats Outside of Clans:

Sparrow - brown and gray tabby with green eyes, loner.

-

The girl couldn’t take it any longer.

Her father and his brother were in the house, drinking hard liquor and swearing at the top of their lungs while gambling on their stupid poker games. She had to get away, had to escape.

_Anywhere but here._

She blundered through the reeds, the bushes tearing through her clothes, her eyes burning with hot tears. The moonlight and stars shown down, almost as if they were watching. But what was there to watch? She was worthless to everyone who knew she existed. She was only good for chores around the house, being quiet, and-

_Don’t even think about it!_

No, she couldn’t help but think of _it_. _It_ haunted her waking life as well as her nightmares. _It_ haunted her steps, haunted her memories, ever since she was a little girl. And that was exactly why she had to go away for good. Only _then_ would she ever be free.

Her father hated her because of something she couldn’t control, because of her mother dying to give her life when she was born. He only took care of her grudgingly because of her final wish, only to let his brother-

_Stop thinking of it!_

She could’ve sworn that something was watching her, but she had no idea what it could be. There were a lot of wild animals around here, but what did they know? They were just animals. They didn’t know about human problems, the only problems that mattered.

Before she knew it, she was at a gorge. She had never been so far outside her home before; her father hadn’t allowed it. The surrounding area was quite beautiful.

_Beautiful...and as good a place as any to die._

She didn’t hesitate to fall. She felt the rush of air go out of her lungs as she fell before she hit the water head-on. She felt a tug as her soul left her body for the afterlife, as she looked at the stars above, which were moving to earth...wait.

  
  
_This is not your end, young one._

She thrashed around, feeling panic. Was this what death was? She heard voices - she assumed were hallucinations - fighting over something.

_Are you sure we can trust her? She’s a Twoleg, for our sake!_

_The prophecy-_

_She isn’t part of the prophecy! We all know that. She’s a Twoloeg, not from our world, not knowing our ways!_

_She may not be a part of the exact prophecy, but she has a role to play, Twoleg or not._

Confused, she looked around in the dark with sightless eyes as the stars continued to fight, wait, how did she know the _stars_ were fighting? Stars weren’t sentient, last time she checked. And what was a “Twoleg”?

_Twolegs are even worse than a kittypet, and we all know that a kittypet will never become a Clan leader!_

_But we’re not talking about her being a leader of a Clan! All I’m asking is to give her an actual chance!_

_Don’t be soft, Birchflower. She’s a Twoleg. Let her join her own ancestors._

_She doesn’t believe in them! And why should she? They watched and did nothing as she suffered!_

_As have we!_

_That just means we can give her a chance!_

“So are you going to condemn me or what?” she asked, finally losing patience.

A pause echoed through the dark. Then the stars moved to the earth and formed...cats. But she knew that these cats weren’t like the pampered pets she had seen neighbors have in their garden. These were wild, for sure. Their fur shimmered with white fire and whiter ice, and their eyes burned into hers, making her feel very small. But she kept her eyes locked on them, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The staring contest continued until one cat, a beautiful tabby whose appearance made her shrink away before she saw the kind blue eyes.

“Hello, young one,” she meowed, which freaked the human girl out.

“Wait, you, you talk? Am...am I going crazy?”

“No. Technically, you’re not alive.”

“So, I’m dead. So, this is the afterlife?”

“For us, yes.”

The human girl had so many questions, but none of them made any sense. Nothing made sense. This was the afterlife? Where was her mother? Did that mean her mother was in hell? What-

“I see you have many questions, but that will have to wait,” the cat meowed. “I am Birchflower, and I only come to you because the Clans are on the brink of disaster.”

She looked at Birchflower in confusion. “Look, I don’t know what your Clans are, I don’t know how a cat like you can talk-”

“You just died, and you’re worried about us talking?” the cat purred in amusement.

The girl replied, flustered, “I-I don’t know who you are, and I just want to die and go to whatever afterlife there is...I just...I want to-”

“You wanted to escape. StarClan willing, I will give you that opportunity.”

“I don’t follow.”

“There isn’t time for this!” another cat, a black tom whose pelt blazed, snapped. “We don’t have time to teach her our ways, the ways of the Clans!”

The female tabby gave the other cat a cold look. “We need all of the help we can get,” she meowed sternly. “Let’s take this gift. She will become valuable in time.”

“With her past-”

“That’s the reason we should give her this chance! Again, in time, she will help us.”

“Chance for what?” the girl asked. “What do you want from me?”

Birchflower looked at her. “When you’re asked questions, say you’re a loner who wants to join WindClan. Come up with a name when you’re asked. The rest will become clear in time.”

“I don’t-”

The girl felt her world spinning, with Birchflower and the rest of the starry cats moving back into the sky, causing everything to go dark again.


	2. Chapter One.

She woke up to the sunlight streaming down on her back, warming her up. She felt sore, and her mind was fuzzy. Something wasn’t right to her. She blinked the fluffy fur out of her - wait, fur?

Her eyes widened and she stumbled as her legs wouldn’t cooperate with her mind’s commands.

_I can’t stand on two legs...what’s wrong with me?_

She half-staggered-half-crawled over to the riverbank and when she looked down at her reflection, she let out a very high-pitched yowl of shock.

_I’m a CAT!_

A young, petite brown-and-gray tabby face stared right back at her with disbelieving green eyes, shocked eyes...but cat eyes, all the same. Cats didn’t have much emotions on their faces; that’s why they were cats. But she was a _human_. Was this...Birchflower, or whatever her name was, responsible for turning her into a kitten? Could she fix this, go into the human afterlife she craved? Maybe if she drowned herself again...but her legs felt exhausted and sore.

“Hey! What are you doing in our territory?”

She whirled around to see another kitten - a brown tabby with green eyes - looking at her with mixed caution and curiosity. She managed to get to her paws, her fur fluffed up in fear.

“Wh-what do you want?” she asked him nervously.

“I could ask you the same thing!” he meowed, tensing his muscles.

“I...I don’t want to fight…” she whispered, crouching in what she hoped was a non-threatening position.

The tom looked at her before hissing, “Then get out of our territory!”

“I’m just a loner who-”

“Get out!”

The newly-transformed she-cat tensed her muscles out of instinct. It looked like a fight was inevitable. They sprung at each other simultaneously. The adrenaline rush filled her body with power and her mind with clarity, and even though she had no idea how to use them, her claws had unsheathed.

The tom raked his claws across her shoulder as she slammed into him, feeling the breath get knocked out of his lungs, and timidly scratched him across his side. He recovered quickly and bit down. A sharp pain shot up her leg, and she let out a yowl of pain, as she tried to shake him off. Desperate, she bit down on his own leg and held on as they tussled near the river.

“Grasspaw!” a voice called out, causing the two to turn around and stop fighting. A pale-brown tom and a brown tabby she-cat with white splotches on her fur, had raced to them, seemingly out of nowhere. The blue eyes of the tom and the amber eyes of the she-cat appraised them both. “You’re supposed to be hunting for WindClan, not fighting rogues...even if they happen to be kits.” He looked at the newcomer coldly. “It’s time to leave our territory now, rogue.”

  
  
It was then that she remembered Birchflower’s words. “I may be a loner, but I want to join your Clan,” she mewed timidly, with less conviction than she hoped.

The tom’s eyes narrowed. “No,” he meowed in a cold tone. “WindClan only accepts those who are born in WindClan.”

  
  
“Kestreltail, I make those decisions,” the older she-cat meowed sternly. “And this is no time to turn away willing paws.”

  
  
“Quailstar, she doesn’t know the slightest bit of our Clans!” Kestreltail meowed in a defiant tone.

  
  
“And we don’t have the numbers to justify turning away honest help, not with the Clan in the current situation we’re in. I’m not guaranteeing that she stays, but it cannot hurt to try.” The older she-cat looked at the young she-cat. “You must be about five moons...how did you survive so long on your own..?.” she mewed quietly before continuing, “What’s your name?”

“I…am…” she mewed, trying to think of a name. Neither her father nor his brother gave her a name other than “Girl” if they were talking about her. She pondered what a potential name could be before settling on the one bird that appeared on her windowsill every day, “Sparrow. Sparrow’s my name.”

“Sparrow, hmm?” Quailstar’s eyes showed an inscrutable emotion that held meaning to her and her alone. “Well, Sparrow, do you want to join our Clan? It will not be an easy life, but your ties to the Clan will make you a stronger cat than you are now.”

“I do,” the newly-named she-cat mewed, hoping it was the right answer.

It was. “Well, given that you’re old enough to be an apprentice, we’ll see how you fare in training.”

Kestreltail turned to Grasspaw, who had been ignored throughout the conversation. “You fought well, Grasspaw,” he meowed calmly, causing the younger tom to purr with pride. “You do need to learn defensive moves to counter blows, but you did well for your first real fight.”

  
  
“Thank you, Kestreltail!” Grasspaw mewed in an excited tone. He looked at Sparrow. “Looks like we’re going to be apprentices together! I can show you the basics. After all, I am older than you.”

“You’re not even six moons yourself, Grasspaw,” Quailstar meowed with amusement. “Let’s get back to camp. We can talk later and address the Clan.”

To her dismay, the other cats bounded off faster than she could safely go without falling. She tried to get her four legs to work at running, tried to control them with her mind, but they simply wouldn’t obey.

Fortunately, Grasspaw had raced back to help. “Can’t you run?” he asked coolly.

“I’m trying,” she mewed in a defeated tone.

“You’re moving your legs all wrong. Were you a Twoleg or something?”

_Don’t you mean ‘human’? You have no idea how right you are, Grasspaw._

“I just...I…”

The brown tom’s green eyes looked resigned as he let out a sigh. “Just move your legs like so…” He demonstrated it, and Sparrow, while she still probably couldn’t keep up with the faster cats, at least was competent at it after two or three tries.

They ran until they reached a sandy hollow that seemed to be protected by gorse. Sparrow looked nervously at the gorse.

“We’re going through that?” she asked.

Grasspaw looked at Sparrow as if she sprouted two extra heads. “Obviously,” he meowed, weaving his body through the gorse tunnel.

Sparrow, not wanting to look worse than she already was, wormed her way through the tunnel, her whiskers barely brushing against the gorse. It pricked at her fur (she couldn’t believe that she was already used to having fur), but she managed to get into the camp without any further problems.

She took in the stock of the camp, the unfamiliar scent of the Clan cats hitting her now-sensitive nose. She breathed in the scents as they took note of the new cat with suspicious eyes. She felt nervous, more nervous than she had ever felt as a human. How was she supposed to prove that she belonged?

_Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained._

She boldly walked to the center of the camp, until she was pinned down by a new cat: a brown-and-white tabby who looked similar to Quailstar.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in our camp?” the newcomer growled.

“I’m Sparrow, Quailstar said I could join the Clan, I was a loner, I’m not a threat, I-” Sparrow probably would’ve kept babbling until she received a cuff to her head by the cat who pinned her down.

“Loners are supposed to stay alone and out of sight!” the unnamed she-cat snarled. “They don’t belong in the Clan, and I _will_ speak with Quailstar about this!”

“Come on, Wrenfeather,” a familiar voice meowed. Sparrow turned to see Kestreltail, his blue eyes shining. “She’s still a kit; how much damage do you really think she could do?” He gave Wrenfeather an affectionate lick on her ear. “Just let her explore, okay? I’ll keep an eye on her, if you’re that concerned.”

Wrenfeather sighed. “Fine,” she acquiesced. “Just keep her away from the kits.” With those words, she stalked toward a cat who looked just like her: Quailstar.

“Yeah, Wrenfeather’s one of the best warriors here, and deservedly so; she’s the best fighter and hunter next to Quailstar.”

“Are they siblings?” Sparrow asked.

“Littermates,” Kestreltail meowed with a sigh. “They’re not a bit alike in personality, though; Quailstar’s rather laid back, and Wrenfeather always has a furball stuck in her throat. But don’t let that fool you. Wrenfeather’s an amazing warrior and you’ll never find a cat more loyal than her. Sorry for doubting you early on, though. I think you’ll make an excellent warrior, given more training.”

“Thanks!” Sparrow squeaked.

“It’s no trouble at all. Anyway, let’s explore the camp. Most of the cats sleep outside unless it’s raining or snowing; then we go into the old dens of badgers and foxes.”

Kestreltail flicked his bushy tail over to a den near the gorse. “That’s the nursery. That’s where the queens and their kits stay. Currently, we have three queens expecting kits, so we’re hoping newleaf lasts a while.”

_Newleaf obviously means spring,_ she thought as she gave him a nod.

He made another flick of his tail toward another den near the gorse. “That’s where the elders sleep.” He must’ve seen Sparrow’s confused look because he explained, “Elders are the cats who have seen long service for our Clan retire from the warrior life. They’re highly regarded, and apprentices will often help them with ticks and the like. That’s you, Sparrow.” His eyes glinted in amusement as she shuddered inwardly.

_I have to remove ticks?! EWWW._

“Anyway, on that happy note, there’s a bit more to show you.” Kestreltail nodded towards a tunnel beneath brambles. “That’s the medicine cat den, home to Raccoonpaw. She’s the cat that helps with wounds and prophecies and the like, which means that she’s always busy with something or such.”

A black-and-gray she-cat with a fluffy tail, as if on cue, exited the den with a tired look in her eyes.

“Hello, Raccoonpaw!” Kestreltail meowed. “This is Sparrow.”

Raccoonpaw opened her mouth to greet her before she saw the young she-cat and froze, her green eyes wide.

“Rabbit got your tongue?” the pale-brown tom teased, noticing the stunned silence.

She continued to stare at Sparrow. “She’s...not supposed to be here. She’s supposed to be dead.”


	3. Chapter Two

Sparrow looked at Raccoonpaw in shock. Did the medicine cat know about her past somehow?

“She…” The black-and-gray she-cat closed her eyes. “Never mind. Why is she here?”

“To become a part of WindClan, of course,” Kestreltail meowed, his eyes gleaming.

Raccoonpaw looked calmly at both of them. “We’ll see,” she meowed before asking, “What happened to your leg?”

  
  
“My...leg?” Sparrow was suddenly reminded of her fight with Grasspaw. She had barely noticed the wound. “Grasspaw and-”

  
  
“Ah, so that’s why he visited,” she meowed. “Come into my den for a moment.”

“But Sparrow has yet to see the Tallrock,” Kestreltail began before Raccoonpaw gave him a withering look, and he mewed, “But I’m sure she’ll see it when Quailstar makes her announcement.” The older tom gave Sparrow a wistful look before leaving her with the medicine cat.

The two she-cats walked into the den. Sparrow took in the sights with her keen vision; there were various herbs and the like stored on specific shelves. It was when she realized that no other cats, not even Grasspaw, were here before felt herself get pinned to the ground.

“I know you’re a former Twoleg,” Raccoonpaw spat. “Why are you here? Who in StarClan’s name sent you here?!”

  
  
“Birchflower,” the younger cat squeaked, her eyes wide, not daring to fight back. “Birchflower sent me, I’m assuming that she’s a part of your StarClan?”

The medicine cat’s eyes grew wide. “Y-You’re lying,” she growled. “Describe her.”

“Their fur was like white fire and whiter ice, they shimmered like starlight, Birchflower was a very beautiful tabby-”

  
  
“Enough.” Raccoonpaw’s eyes were as wide as full moons. “Birchflower, why didn’t you talk to me about this?” she mewed to herself. She sighed. “Birchflower was my mentor. She...taught me everything before she died recently. Well, almost…” She sighed again. “The only thing I’ve gotten from StarClan was a vision...but that’s not your concern. I assume you need cobwebs for your leg?”

Sparrow nodded, still a bit shaken, still thinking that there was something more than Raccoonpaw was letting on, but comfortable enough to let the medicine cat treat her wound.

“Hmm...the bites and scratches aren’t deep at all,” she mewed before turning her gaze to the younger cat. “Remember, you must become a cat. I realize it’ll be hard, but you must learn our ways.”

“I don’t know how to hunt or fight, though,” the younger she-cat mewed quietly. “I barely know how to walk and run, I just…”

  
  
“You must learn if you are to be an asset to WindClan.”

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join us at the Tallrock!” a calm, clear voice rang out.

“That’ll be Quailstar,” Raccoonpaw meowed. “Let’s go; she’ll probably want to introduce you to the Clan."

The two she-cats padded out of the medicine cat den, and Sparrow felt the gazes of all of the cats burn through her. She realized that she’d have to prove herself to all of them.

_ How do I do that? _

Quailstar was sitting on a very tall rock, looking very much like a leader with calm authority.

“Cats of WindClan, we’ve found a cat who is willing to become an apprentice-” the tabby she-cat began, before a yowl from the middle of the cats challenged her.

“A loner!” It was Wrenfeather that had voiced her disagreement. “Do you think WindClan is that desperate for help that it takes in Clanless trash? That we’re that weak to stoop so low?”

Sparrow heard other cats yowling in agreement, and she flattened her fur instinctively, crouching down as if the criticism could fly over her if she did.

Surprisingly enough, it was Grasspaw who first spoke up in her defense. “We don’t have enough cats to ward off an attack from the other Clans! Maybe she can help us!”

“I will  _ not _ let a cat who just exited the nursery tell me what’s right or wrong!” Wrenfeather spat at the apprentice so viciously that he shrank back in fear.

“Wrenfeather!” Kestreltail meowed. “Grasspaw’s right. Sometimes you need help. It’s not a guarantee that Sparrow succeeds, but at least give her an opportunity, okay?”

“Never!”

“Wrenfeather.” Amber met amber as Quailstar stared at her littermate. “Grasspaw and Kestreltail are right. We aren’t in a position to decline actual help for our Clan. We have no kits right now with three queens, and it was a difficult leafbare. We have ten warriors - including myself and you - along with seven apprentices, now that Silvereye has gone to the elder’s den. We need warriors. Warriors who can help our Clan.”

  
  
“Fine,” Wrenfeather snarled, stalking away from the Tallrock, before adding, “And when she betrays our Clan, you better not come wailing to me!” The brown-and-white tabby she-cat left.

“Does any other cat object?” Quailstar asked, her voice level and calm.

“I don’t necessarily object, but I have a question.” An older cat, a silver-gray tom with a glazed-over right eye that had a jagged scar running across it, had been the one to speak. “Where did you find this kit?”

The WindClan leader looked at the she-cat. “Grasspaw, Kestreltail, and I found her near the river, Silvereye,” she meowed.

“And you don’t find it the least bit odd how she survived without her mother?” Silvereye pointed out. “Obviously, she had one; otherwise she wouldn’t have lasted, not knowing how to hunt in leafbare.”

  
  
“My mother died,” Sparrow blurted out before she crouched again, not comfortable with the attention on her. “She died by the river…” Somehow, she knew that her mother - her actual human mother - had actually given birth and died by the river. But how, no, this couldn’t be right...could it?

Silvereye gazed at her. “And how did she die?” he asked calmly.

  
  
“I...I don’t remember seeing her die. I was too young.” Not a complete lie.

The old tom looked at her eyes. The younger cat tried her hardest not to be rude, focusing on his good eye. To her shock, he began to purr.

“Well, I hope you’re good at cracking ticks,” he meowed warmly. “Ashstream seem to get a lot of them, and I should be next. And I’m pretty sure the other apprentices can’t wait to help out.” Friendly sarcasm filled his tone, and Sparrow saw some smaller cats, obviously apprentices, cringe from his words.

_ How do I crack ticks, though? _

“Sparrow, come sit at the Tallrock.” The younger cat looked at Quailstar, still projecting an aura of calm. Still, she had the feeling that the leader knew something that she didn’t.

“Sparrow, while you haven’t been Clanborn, you are old enough to be an apprentice. Your new name will be Sparrowpaw -” Quailstar’s eyes gleamed as she talked to the newly-named Sparrowpaw, “- and Brownbelly will be your mentor.”


	4. Chapter Three

“But Brownbelly is our deputy! You really want to sully his name with this loner?” It had been Wrenfeather who had apparently come back from stalking away to leave yet more barbs toward her leader and Sparrowpaw.

“I can take an apprentice, Wrenfeather.” A heavyset black tom with a brown underside and amber eyes had spoken harshly, before turning to the young she-cat with a kindly gaze. “I have no issues training this young one, Quailstar.”

“Train her well; she hasn’t had much time to hunt or fight, so she’ll need some time to learn,” Raccoonpaw quickly interrupted.

“Fine, train her, see if I care!” Wrenfeather spat. “And when she runs to a bunch of rogues for protection, don’t-”

“‘Don’t wail about it to me’, I get it, Wrenfeather,” Quailstar meowed with an edge in her tone that immediately silenced her littermate and reminded Sparrowpaw why she was a leader and Wrenfeather wasn’t: the former was a born leader, able to move every cat to her words.

Wrenfeather glared at her sister before stalking toward a pile of what seemed like rabbit corpses, picking a scrawny one up with her jaws, and stalking toward an abandoned fox den to eat in peace.

“Brownbelly, you have fought hard to get where you are now, and I expect you to teach young Sparrowpaw all that you know.”

“Touch noses with mine,” Brownbelly whispered so that only Sparrowpaw could hear. She did so.

“Sparrowpaw!” Grasspaw meowed out loud, followed by Kestreltail and Raccoonpaw calling her by her new name. The other cats seemed quite reluctant to call her name out and moved away from the Tallrock; some walked out of the gorse tunnel with others moving to the rabbit pile.

Sparrowpaw realized that she too would have to eat a rabbit; it wasn’t like they had gourmet meals for cats, especially not wild cats. What would they taste like?

“Want to share a rabbit?” She turned to see Grasspaw looking at her, his eyes gleaming.

“Sure. I’ve never had rabbit, so I’m hoping it’ll taste good.”

“What _did_ you eat as a loner?” the brown tabby asked in disbelief.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she mewed honestly.

“Not crowfood, right?”

  
  
“Crowfood?”

“Rotten food. But what did you eat?”

“Let’s just leave it at ‘you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.’”

Grasspaw shrugged, dragged a rabbit from the pile of recently-killed rabbits, and gestured for Sparrowpaw to take the first bite. When she did, all of her tastebuds sang with joy. It was arguably _better_ than any human, or rather, _Twoleg_ food she had ever had. She almost took another bite before she remembered that her fellow apprentice was sharing it with her. She let him take a bite.

“Mmm...never gets old,” he mewed between his mouthful. “Don’t expect the prey to run all the time, though; in leafbare, there’s almost nothing.”

_Leafbare is winter, I guess._

“RiverClan’s lucky; the prey runs there every season,” Grasspaw meowed. “But you wouldn’t know much about the Clans, would you, Sparrowpaw?”

“Not really…” she mewed, taking another bite from the rabbit.

“Well, there’s ShadowClan on the far border of our territory. They say that the cold winds from the north freeze over every ShadowClan cat’s heart. Not sure how true it is, but a lot of cats think so.

  
  
“RiverClan, like I mentioned, gets fat off of their fish, and they know how to swim very well. We fight them a lot.

“Then there’s ThunderClan. They supposedly live in this huge forest, but they and ShadowClan often fight for food with the rest of us. They also have something called the ‘Thunderpath’ that has a bunch of monsters on it.”

“Monsters?” Sparrowpaw asked curiously.

“Yeah, with shining lights, loud noises, enough fumes to make a kit go blind. Twolegs often ride in their bellies.”

_He must mean cars,_ she realized in shock. Her old life seemed so far away already, but little reminders like this made her realize how tough a wild cat could have it.

“Yeah, the Thunderpath also crosses the border to the Moonstone.”

“Moonstone?” Now she was really curious.

“Apparently, it’s where leaders and medicine cats go to receive dreams from StarClan. Every apprentice makes the journey-”

“-and some of them make it count.” Two ginger cats, a tom and a she-cat, walked over with their tails held high. They had proud looks on their faces. “I can’t believe that Quailstar allowed Clanless trash to join our Clan,” the tom sneered, causing Sparrowpaw’s fur to rise, even though she had crouched in a submissive position, before turning to Grasspaw and meowing, “And Grasspaw couldn’t even drive off a Clanless kit who doesn’t know how to fight.”

“Shut it, Gorsepaw!” Grasspaw snarled. “It was my first day of training; you expect every apprentice to be an amazing fighter right out of the nursery like you?”

“You don’t have to be amazing, just competent,” the she-cat meowed smugly.

“And there goes the other talker,” the brown tom growled. “How about you shut it too, Harepaw?”

Gorsepaw prodded Sparrowpaw with one of his claws, which were abnormally-long and not something she was eager to deal with at the moment. “I want to see how this Clanless trash beat you, Grasspaw. Come on, loner, how about you and me settle things, right here, right now?”

“Not interested,” she meowed dismissively, noting that Grasspaw and Harepaw were glaring at each other. Gorsepaw looked positively _furious_ at her choice of words.

“Not interested in fighting?!” he spat. “Are you a coward or something?”

Sparrowpaw’s mind flashed back to when she was human, her father screaming at her. Normally, she just tuned it out, unless he was beating her, but this sentence stuck with her.

_Your mother took the coward’s way out, dying and leaving a burden with me! Girl, you’ll prove to be no better than her!_

“Guess you _are_ a coward,” Gorsepaw crowed.

The brown-and-gray she-cat had heard enough, and she sprung at Gorsepaw, who easily dodged and slashed her left shoulder and side. She scented blood, her blood, her blood on Gorsepaw’s long claws. She knew that she wouldn’t beat the more experienced cat by conventional means.

_Time to do something unorthodox._

She crouched down submissively, and the tom came close. _Too close_. She sprung up, sending her body straight into his chest, driving the breath out of him.

_Don’t let up!_

She let out a screech of rage as she scratched the tom’s belly furiously.

“I - am - _not_ \- a - coward!” she spat as venomously as a serpent, punctuating each word with a slash, finishing with a slice across his ear.

Gorsepaw kicked out with his paws, punting her halfway across the camp before flinging himself on her, pinning her down before slashing her sides more. Then he bit down on her shoulder, and pain exploded from the site, causing her to screech and go limp.

“What in the name of StarClan are you doing?!” a voice yowled out loud. It was Brownbelly, who had Grasspaw and Harepaw by his side; from the wounds that each of them had, they had obviously gone at it as much as she and Gorsepaw had. “We do _not_ fight Clanmates! We play fight, we practice our skills, but not do something to cause serious injury like _this_ ! You _all_ should know better!”

“I don’t know,” a new voice meowed thoughtfully. To no cat’s surprise, it was Wrenfeather who had spoken. “It was good practice, and the loner actually showed up to fight before Gorsepaw’s experience beat her.”

“Yeah, a senior apprentice picking on the apprentice who literally got named today,” Grasspaw snarked. “Yeah, that seems fair. He’ll be ready to fight all of RiverClan for sure.”

“I never spoke to you!” Wrenfeather spat, causing her friend (could she call him her friend?) to shrink back. “And if you bothered to learn to fight properly instead of talk, you might be an apprentice Kestreltail could be proud of!”

Grasspaw, to his credit, didn’t slink away, but walked over to Sparrowpaw. “Come on, we better get you seen by Raccoonpaw,” he meowed in a tone that was somewhat bitter.

“Yes, all of you will be seen by Raccoonpaw, and I _will_ be discussing this with your mentors _and_ Quailstar,” Brownbelly meowed sternly.

She saw Harepaw flinch noticeably, and Grasspaw looked down at his paws, as if he wanted to sink into the ground. And Sparrowpaw felt a strange mixture of pride and shame; she had fought well, but had not wanted to break the laws of WindClan (if they had laws like that?) at all, let alone this early. Only Gorsepaw, who had a new notch in his right ear and blood dripping from his belly, showed nonchalance at the whole thing, although his glare towards her could’ve been enough to kill a snake.

She slunk off toward the medicine cat den, along with Gorsepaw, droplets of blood falling from her shoulder. Raccoonpaw immediately ran into the den to fetch supplies, coming out with what looked like cobwebs and other herbs. She expertly placed them on Gorsepaw first, while chewing up and spitting a few yellow flowers that she didn’t recognize before placing them on the ginger tom. She also laid out a few seeds, which he ate before walking away.

The black-and-gray she-cat moved to Sparrowpaw next, placing cobwebs all over her and putting the chewed-up herbs on her.

“Marigold and goldenrod,” Raccoonpaw explained to the young apprentice. “I’ll also give you a few poppy seeds to ease any pains.”

“Thanks,” Sparrowpaw mewed gratefully, chewing up the poppy seeds before her mind got stuck on one question. “If you’re the medicine cat, why do you have an apprentice name?”

The medicine cat’s fur bristled. “If you’re healthy enough to ask stupid questions like that, I’ve done all I can,” she growled harshly.

Sparrowpaw immediately knew that she had triggered a sore spot. “Sorry, I was just curious…” she whispered.

Raccoonpaw sighed before meowing in a terse tone, “Look, I’m going to be busy with the four of you, so if you don’t ask questions, it’ll make my life a whole lot easier.”

“Understood…” the younger she-cat mewed before she flopped down on her side, letting the medicine cat apply the cobwebs.

Sparrowpaw was completely confused. Raccoonpaw knew more than she was letting on, obviously having secrets of her own to hide. Quailstar seemed to know more than she did as well. It made her curious, and she couldn’t help but recall the words of Birchflower, saying that the Clans were in danger. She had one thought before she fell asleep.

_What is going on?_


End file.
